Newport, Oregon

                        Apologies up front for the delay in processing this and the next few Posts. Not that any of you would have noticed, as our Itinerary is not published, (for fear of paparazzi) but I usually try and have a Post out the day after that experience occurs. In this case we packed up and left our Hosts for the wilds of Interior Oregon, thrashing a path through the (as you may imagine) totally gorgeous Oregon forests and mountains. Hills and trees have no need for the Internet and do not have bank accounts to pay for them even if they did. So, Messrs. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Cricket, et al, have not seen fit to provide such a service, even here at our Campground.

                        I will be searching the surrounding National Parks for some access. You, obviously, will be the first to know!

Two days hence…. Addendum… we exited the Oregon Wilderness (post to follow soon) only to have a suspension issue with the motorhome. We are in Klamath Falls, Oregon just north of the California border. The “guys” will look at the issue after lunch. We shall see how long we will need to make Klamath Falls our new home. In the meantime, I have Internet and am able to publish 😊

Addendum Addendum… our repair took only a short time (!) so any Publishing will need to wait a bit.

                                                To Be Continued……

                   Meanwhile, a few days earlier and back on the Coast….

We continued our Intro to the Oregon Coast 101, which commenced in Pacific City, during our visit with Kris and Brian. Kris and Brian are folks that we met while on the World Cruise last year and didn’t mind a bit when we followed through with our threat to visit them sometime! I know that we’re relatively easy company….. we bring our beds, food, laundry detergent, etc. with us wherever we go, but one still has to carve out some time for us when we “drop by”.

                        Brian and Kris were more than happy to continue our Or-Ed (Oregon Education) program while we were there. They live in Newport, right on the coast and if there’s any aspect about Oregon that is consistently jaw-dropping, it’s the Coast.

                        Newport is one of the few places on the Oregon Coast that can host a real harbor. On the East Coast, we’re used to every little nook and cranny of our coastline being a harbor of sorts. But check out a map of the West Coast, from Southern California to Northwest Washington…. there are far fewer indents in the coastline that can serve as a harbor, especially considering the length of that Coast. So, everybody makes Newport home! The Coast Guard, NOAA, Oregon University Marine Studies, a large commercial fishing fleet, Barnacle Bill’s Sailing School…….. everybody!

                        There is also a conspicuous/copious number of Lighthouses along the way. In the local case here, they did help guide ships into the Harbor, but they also act as waypoints along the coast for navigation purposes. You’ve probably noticed that a fair amount of this coastline is made up of rocky cliffs.

This is good for all of us, filling our needs for dramatic settings and far-reaching vistas.

But….. it is bad for ships.

But…. it’s good for perching lighthouses in incredibly scenic settings!

Which we get to visit and photograph!

Downtown Newport has a nice run of waterfront dining and shopping, but the highlight of this area has to be the Sealion Docks. This is where all of the male sealions hang out for the majority of the year until “that time” calls and they exit for the Channel Islands offshore, have some umbrella drinks, get some girls, ….. and sometime in the spring we get baby sealions!

The Docks can be “heard” way before they can be “seen”. We are all familiar with that distinctive sealion bark. Now let’s put a hundred or so of these boisterous fellows together and have them vie for a coveted spot on the Docks.

                        Cacophony may be a proper description of the sounds emanating from this area.

            In the meantime, they are such a local attraction that when the docks were destroyed in a December 2022 storm, the locals raised $70,000 to get some new ones and have them installed and ready for the guy’s arrival in August of 2023.

Lunch was had at the local tavern which hails itself as the home of ‘winos, dingbats, and riffraff.’ How can you not love a place with a self-deprecating sense of humor! The double-entendre named “Barge Inn” was the perfect spot for a local meal. I had a Crispy Chicken Bacon Wrap because what’s better than something with Bacon attached to it? The best part of the menu was that there, right in the middle of the offerings, was a heading labeled ‘Cookies-All Flavors’.

            I am now a part owner in this enterprise.

One of the best parts of the World Cruise was meeting new people who next became friends and then moved on to life-long friends. As we travel around and visit these folks we get to reminisce, drag out our photo books, and relive some of the great things that we shared whilst aboard.

Kris and Brian challenged us to a return trip as they said that there were many more things to show us in the Newport area and from the looks of things we would have to agree.

Besides, Miss Biggie fit very nicely into their driveway with nary an inch protruding into the street 😊